Analytical interview questions and answers, Exercises of Job Interviewing Techniques and Skills

Download Analytical interview questions and answers and more Exercises Job Interviewing Techniques and Skills in PDF only on Docsity! How to Answer The 64 Toughest Interview Questions THIS BOOK IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE ACCURATE INFORMATION ON THE SUBJECTS COVERED. HOWEVER, IT 1S DONE WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING OR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF LEGAL ADVICE OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL ASSSTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT, PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOUID BE SOUGHT. ANY NAMES USED IN THE TEXT ARE FICTITIOUS AND FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES ONLY. ANY RESEMBLANCE TO ACTUAL PERSONS OR COMPANIES IS PURELY COINCIDENTAL AND UNINTENTIONAL. Q38 O39 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 a44 O45 46 Q47 48 a4g Qs0 Qs Qs2 O83 O54 Q55 Q56 Q57 Q58 Qs9 Q60 Q61 Q62 Q63 O64 What would you say to your boss if he’s crazy about an idea, but you think it SINKS? ee eeeccscctee cece cecsnnnresvasesseteantssetsseesicsisssetsssiisssitisuestessiiteseesveses How could you have improved your career PFOQTESS? eee What wouid you do if a fellow executive on your own corporate level wasn’t pulling his/her weight...and this was hurting your department?.........0..-.00..-. 26 You've been with your firm a long time. Won't it be hard switching to a new company?.. a May | contact your present employer for a reference? 27 Give me an example of your creativity (analytical skill... managing ability, etc.) How many hours a week do you normally work What's the most difficult part of being a (job title}? The "Hypothetical Problem’... occcceceecree What was the toughest challenge you've ever faced?. Have you consider starting your own business?, What are your goals?...0 ee interviewer's desk).. “The Salary Question” ~ How much money do you want The illegal Question.......... The “Secret” tliegal Question... What was the toughest part of your last job’ How do you define success...and how do you measure Up to your own definition? fone OD “The Opinion Question” - What do you think about ... Abortion... The 36 President... The Death Penaity...(or any other controversial subject)?.. If you won $10 million lottery, would you still Work?....c.. ccc. Looking back on your last position, have you done your best work we Why shouid | hire you from the outside when | could promote someone from WII? oe ceeccs tees tenesteeeeneerseee we Tell me something negative you've heard about our company. On a scale of one to ten, rate me as an interviewer. Question 64 On a scale of one to ten, rate me as an interviewer. 64 Toughest Questions Page 1 General Guidelines in Answering Interview Questions Everyone is nervous on interviews. If you simply affow yourself to feel nervous, you'll do much better. Remember also that it’s difficult for the interviewer as well. In general, be upbeat and positive. Never be negative. Rehearse your answers and time them. Never talk for more than 2 minutes straight. Don't try to memorize answers word for word. Use the answers shown here as a guide only, and don't be afraid to include your own thoughts and words. Ta help you remember key concepts, jot down and review a few key words for each answer. Rehearse your answers frequently, and they will come to you naturally in interviews. As you will read in the accompanying report, the single most important strategy in interviewing, as in all phases of your job search, is what we call: “The Greatest Executive Job Finding Secret." And that is... Find out what people want, than show them how you can help them get it. Find out what an employer wants most in his or her ideal candidate, then show how you meet those qualifications. In other words, you must match your abilities, with the needs of the employer. You must sell what the buyer is buying. To do that, before you know what to emphasize in your answers, you mus' out what the buyer is buying... what he is looking for. And the best way to do tha’ ask a few questions yourself. You will see how to bring this off skillfully as you read the first two questions of this report, But regardless of how you accomplish it, you must remember this strategy above all: before blurting out your qualifications, you must get some idea of what the employer wants most. Once you know what he wants, you can then present your qualifications as the perfect “key” that fits the “lock” of that position. e Other important interview strategies: » Tum weaknesses into strengths (You'll see haw to do this in a few moments.) » Think before you answer. A pause to collect your thoughts is a hallmark of a thoughtful person. As a daily exercise, practice being more optimistic. For example, try putting a positive spin on events and situations you would normally regard as negative. This is not meant to turn you into a Pollyanna, but to sharpen your selling skills. The best salespeople, as weil as the best liked interview candidates, come off as being naturally optimistic, “can do” people. You will dramatically raise your level of attractiveness by daily practicing to be more optimistic. Be honest...never lie. Keep an interview diary. Right after each Interview note what you did right, what could have gone a little better, and what steps you should take next with this contact. Then take those steps. Don't be like the 95% of humanity who say they will follow up on something, but never do. About the 64 questions... You might feel that the answers to the following questions are “canned”, and that they will seldom match up with the exact way You are asked the questions in actual interviews. The questions and answers are designed to be as specific and realistic as 84 Toughest Questions Page 1 possible. But no preparation can anticipate thousands of possible variations on these questions. What's important is that you thoroughly familiarize yourself with the main strategies behind each answer. And it will be invaluable to you if you commit to memory a few key words that let you instantly call to mind your best answer to the various questions. If you do this. and follow the principles of successful interviewing presented here, you're going to do very weil. Good luck...and good job-hunting! 64 Toughest Questions Page 2 sure that what you like most matches up with the most important qualification for success in the position, and what you like least is not essential. Example: Let's say you're applying for a teaching position. “If given a choice, | tike to spend as much time as possible in front of my prospects selling, as opposed to shuffling paperwork back at the office. Of course, | long ago learned the importance of filing paperwork properly, and | do it conscientiously. But what | really love to do is sell (if your interviewer were a sales manager, this should be music to his ears.) Question 4 Tell me about something you did — or failed to do — that you now fee! a little ashamed of. TRAPS: There are some questions your interviewer has no business asking, and this is one. But while you may feel like answering, “none of your business,” naturally you can't. Some interviewers ask this question on the chance you admit te samething, but if not, at least they'll see how you think on your feet. Some unprepared candidates, flustered by this question, unburden themselves of guilt from their personal life or career, perhaps expressing regrets regarding a parent, spouse, child, etc. All such answers can be disastrous. BEST ANSWER: As with faults and weaknesses, never confess a regret. But don't seem as if you're stonewalling either. Best strategy: Say you harbor no regrets, then add a principle or habit you practice regularly for healthy human relations. Example: Pause for reflection, as if the question never occurred to you. Then say, “You know, | really can't think of anything.” (Pause again, then add): “l would add that as a general management principle, l’ve found that the best way to avoid regrets is to avoid causing them in the first place. | practice one habit that helps me a great.deal in this regard. At the end of each day, | mentally review the day’s events and conversations to take a second look at the people and developments I’m involved with and do a doublecheck of what they’re likely to be feeling. Sometimes I'll see things that do need more follow-up, whether a pat on the back, or maybe a five minute chat in someone’s office to make sure we're clear on things...whatever.” “L also like to make each person feel like a member of an elite team, like the Boston Celtics or LA Lakers in their prime. I’ve found that if you let each team member know you expect excellence in their performance...if you work hard to set an example yourself...and if you let people know you appreciate and respect their feelings, you wind up with a highly motivated group, a team that's having fun at work because they're striving for excellence rather than brooding over slights or regrets.* Question § Why are you leaving (or did you leave) this position? TRAPS: Never badmouth your previous industry, campany, board, boss, staff, employees or customers. This rule is inviolable: never be negative. Any mud you hurl will only soil your suit. Especially avoid words like “personality clash”, “didn’t get along”, or others which cast a shadow on your campetence, integrity, or temperament. BEST ANSWER: (if you have a job presently) If you're not yet 100% committed to leaving your present post, don't be afraid to say so. 64 Toughest Questions Page 2 Since you have a job, you are in a stronger position than someone whe does not. But don’t be coy either. State honestly what you'd be hoping to find in a new spot. Of course, as stated offen before, you answer will all the stronger if you have already uncovered what this position is all about and you match your desires to it. {If you do not presently have a job.) Never lie about having been fired. It’s unethical ~.and too easily checked. But do try to deflect the reason from you personally. If your firing was the result of a takeover, merger, divisian wide layoff, etc., so much the better. But you should alsa do something totally unnatural that will demonstrate consummate professionalism. Even if it hurts , describe your own firing ~ candidly, succinctly and without a trace of bittemess — from the company’s point-of-view, indicating that you could understand why it happened and you might have made the same decision yourself. Your stature will rise immensely and, most important of all, you will show you are healed from the wounds inflicted by the firing. You will enhance your image as first-class management material and stand head and shoulders above the legions of firing victims who, at the slightest provocation, zip open their shirts to expose their battle scars and decry the unfairness of it all. Far all prior positions: Make sure you've prepared a brief reason for leaving. Best reasons: more money, opportunity, responsibility or growth. Question 6 The “Silent Treatment” TRAPS: Beware ~ if you are unprepared for this question, you will probably not handle it right and possibly blow the interview. Thank goodness most interviewers don't employ it. I's normally used by those determined to see how you respond under stress. Here’s how it works: You answer an interviewer's question and then, instead of asking another, he just stares at you in a deafening silence. You wait, growing a bit uneasy, and there he sits, silent as Mt. Rushmore, as if he doesn't believe what you've just said, or perhaps making you feel that you've unwittingly violated some cardinal rule of interview etiquette. When you get this silent treatment after answering a particularly difficult question , such as “tell me about your weaknesses”, its intimidating effect can be most disquieting, even to polished job hunters. Most unprepared candidates rush in to fill the void of silence, viewing prolonged, uncomfortable silences as an invitation to-clear up the previous answer which has obviously caused some problem. And that's what they do — ramble on, sputtering more and more information, sometimes irrelevant and often damaging, because they are suddenly playing the role of someone who's goofed and is now trying to recoup. But since the candidate doesn’t know where or how he gaofed, he just keeps talking, showing how flustered and confused he is by the interviewer's unmovable silence. BEST ANSWER: Like a primitive tripal mask, the Silent Treatment loses all it power to frighten you once you refuse to be intimidated. If your interviewer pulls it, keep quiet yourself for a while and then ask, with sincere politeness and not a trace of sarcasm, ‘Is there anything else | can fill in on that point?” That’s all there is to it. 64 Toughest Questions Page 2 Whatever you do, don't let the Silent Treatment intimidate you Into talking a blue streak, because you could easily talk yourself out of the position Question 7 Why should | hire you? TRAPS: Believe it or not, this is a killer question because so many candidates are unprepared for it. If you stammer or adlib you've blown it. BEST ANSWER: By now you can see how critical it is to apply the overall strategy of uncovering the employer's needs before you answer questions. If you know the employer's greatest needs and desires, this question will give you a big leg up over other candidates because you will give him better reasons for hiring you than anyone else is likely to...reasons tied directly to his needs. Whether your interviewer asks you this question explicitly or not, this is the most important question of your interview because he must answer this question favorably in is own mind before you will be hired. So help him out! Walk through each of the position’s requirements as you understand them, and follow each with a reason why you meet that requirement so well. Example: “As | understand your needs, you are first and foremost looking for someone who can manage the sales and marketing of your book publishing division. As yau’ve said you need someone with a strong background in trade book sales. This is where ve spent almost all of my career, so I’ve chalked up 18 years of experience exactly in this area. { believe that | know the right contacts, methods, principles, and successful management techniques as well as any person can in our industry.” “You also need someone who can expand your back distribution channels. In my prior post, my innovative promotional ideas doubled, then tripled, the number of outlets selling our books. I’m confident | can do the same for you.” “You need someone to give a new shot in the arm to your mail order sales, someone who knows how to sell in space and direct mail media. Here, too, | believe | have exactly the experience you need. In the last five years, I've Increased our mail order book sales from $600,000 to $2,800,000, and now we're the country’s second leading marketer of scientific and medical books by mail.” Etc., efc., etc., Every one of these selling “couplets” (his need matched by your qualifications) is a touchdown that runs up your score. IT is your best opportunity to outsell your competition. Question & Aren't you overqualified for this position? TRAPS: The employer may be concemed that you'll grow dissatisfied and leave. BEST ANSWER: As with any objection, don't view this as a sign of imminent defeat. t's an invitation to teach the interviewer a new way to think about this situation, seeing advantages instead of drawbacks. Example: “| recognize the job market for what it is —a marketplace. Like any marketplace, it's subject to the laws of supply and demand. So ‘overqualified’ can be a relative term, depending on how tight the job market is. And right now, it’s very tight. [ understand and accept that.” “Lalso believe that there could be very positive benefits for both of us in this match.” 64 Toughest Questions Page 1 Question 13 Why have you been out of work so fong? TRAPS: A tough question if you've been on the beach a long time. You don’t want to seem like damaged goods BEST ANSWER: You want to emphasize factors which have prolonged your job search by your own choice. Example: “After my job was terminated, | made a conscious decision not to Jump on the first opportunities to come along, In my life, I’ve found out that you can always turn a negative into a positive IF you try hard enough. This is what ! determined to do. | decided to take whatever time | needed to think through what I do best. what | most want to do, where I'd like to do it...and-then identify those companies that could offer such an opportunity.” “Also, in all honesty, you have to factor in the recession (consolidation, stabilization, etc.} in the (banking, financial services, manufacturing, advertising, etc.) industry.” “So between my being selective and the companies in our industry downsizing, the process has taken time. But in the end, ’m convinced that when j do find the Fight maich, ail that careful evaluation from both sides of the desk will have been well worthwhile for both the company that hires me and myself. Question 14 Tell me honestly about the strong points and weak points of your boss (company, Management team, etc.)... TRAPS: Skillfull interviewers sometimes make it almost irresistible ta open up and alra little dirty laundry from your previous position. DON'T BEST ANSWER: Remember the rule: Never be negative. Stress only the good points, no matter how charmingly you're invited to be critical. Your interviewer doesn’t care a whit about your previous boss. He wants to find out how loyal and positive you are, and whether you'll criticize him behind his back if pressed to do so by someone in this own company. This question is your opportunity to demonstrate your loyalty to those you work with. Question 15 What good books have you read lately? TRAPS: As in all matters of your interview, never fake familiarity you don't have. Yet you don't want to seem like a dullard who hasn't read a book since Tom Sawyer. BEST ANSWER: Unless you're up for a position in academia or as book critic for The New York Times, you're not expected to be a literary lion. But it wouldn't hurt to have read a handful of the most recent and influential books in your profession and on management. Consider it part of the work of your job search to read up on a few of these leading books, But make sure they are quality books that reflect favorably upon you, nothing that could even remotely be considered superficial. Finally, add a recently published bestselling work of fiction by a world-class author and you'll pass this question with flying colors, 84 Toughest Questions _ “Page 1 Question 16 Tell me about a situation when your work was criticized. TRAPS: This is a tough question because it's a more clever and subtle way to get you to admit to a weakness. You can’t dodge it by pretending you've never been criticized. Everybody has been. Yet it can be quite damaging to start admitting potential faults and failures that you'd just as soon leave buried. This question is also intended to probe how weil you accept criticism and direction. BEST ANSWERS: Begin sy emphasizing the extremely positive feedback you've gotten throughout your career and (if it’s true) that your performance reviews have been uniformly excellent. Of course, no one is perfect and you always welcome suggestions on how to improve your performance. Then, give an example of a not-too-damaging learning experience from early in your career and relate the ways this lesson has since helped you. This demonstrates that you learned from the experience and the lesson is now one of the strongest breastplates in your suit of armor. if you are pressed for a criticism from a recent position, choose something fairly trivial that in no way is essential to your successful performance. Add that you've learned from this, too, and over the past several years/months, it's no longer an area of concem because you now make it a regular practice to...etc. Another way to answer this question would be to describe your intention to broaden your master of an area of growing importance in your field. For example, this might be a computer program you've been meaning ia sit down and jearn... a new management technique you've read about...or perhaps attending a seminar on some cutting-edge branch of your profession. Again, the key is to focus on something not essential to your brilliant performance but which adds yet another dimension to your already impressive knowledge base. Question 17 What are your outside interests? TRAPS: You want ta be a well-rounded, not a drone. But your potential employer wauld be even more turned off if he suspects that your heavy extracurricular load will interfere with your commitment to your work duties. BEST ANSWERS: Try to gauge how this company’s culture would look upon your favorite outside activities and be guided accordingly. You can also use this question to shatter any stereotypes that could limit your chances. If you're over 50, for example, describe your activities that demonstrate physical stamina. If you're young, mention an activity that connotes wisdom and institutional trust, such as serving on the board of a popular charity. But above all, remember that your employer is hiring your for what you can do far him, not your family, yourself or outside organizations, no matter how admirable those activities may be. Question 18 The “Fatal Flaw” question TRAPS: If an interviewer has read your resume carefully, he may fry to zero in ona “fatal flaw” of your candidacy, perhaps that you don't have a college degree... you've been out of the job market for some time... you never earned your CPA, etc. 64 Toughest Questions “Page 1 A fatal flaw question can be deadly, but usually only if you respond by being overly defensive. BEST ANSWERS: As every master salesperson knows, you will encounter objections (whether stated or merely thought) in every sale. They're part and parcel of the buyer's anxiety. The key is not to exacerbate the buyer's anxiety but diminish it. Here's how... Whenever you come up against a fatal flaw question: i Be completely honest, apen and straightforward about admitting the shortcoming. (Showing you have nothing to hide diminishes the buyer's anxiety.) 2. Do not apologize or try to explain it away. You know that this supposed flaw is nothing to be concerned about, and this is the attitude you want your interviewer to adopt as weil. ww Add that as desirable as such a qualification might be, its lack has made you work ail the harder throughout your career and has not prevented you from compiling an outstanding tack record of achievements. You might even give examples of how, through a relentiess commitment to excellence, you have consistently outperformed those who do have this qualification. Of course, the ultimate way to hancle “fatal flaw” questions is to prevent them from arising in the first place. You will do that by following the master strategy described in Question 1, j.e., uncovering the employers needs and them matching your qualifications to those needs. Once you've gotten the employer to start talking about his most urgenily-felt wants and goals for the position, and then help him see in step-by-step fashion how perfectly your background and achievements match up with those needs, you're going to have one very enthusiastic interviewer on your hands, one who is no longer looking for “fatal flaws”. Question 19 How deo you feel about reporting to a younger persan (minority, woman, etc)? TRAPS: It's a shame that some interviewers feel the need fo ask this question, but many understand the reality that prejudices still exist among same job candidates, and it’s better to try to flush them out beforehand. The trap here is that in taday's politically sensitized environment, even a well-intentioned answer can result in planting your foot neatly in your mouth. Avoid anything which smacks of a patronizing or an insensitive attitude, such as “f think they make terrific bosses” or “Hey, some of my best friends are...” Of course, since almost anyone with an !Q above room temperature will at least try to steadfastly affirm the right answer here, your interviewer will be judging your sincerity most of all. “Do you really feel that way?” is what he or she will be wondering. So you must make your answer believable and not just automatic. If the firm is wise enough to have promoted peopled on the basis of ability alone, they’re likely quite proud of it, and prefer to hire others who will wholeheartedly share their strong sense of fair play. BEST ANSWER: You greatly admire a company that hires and promotes on merit alone and you couldn't agree more with that philosophy. The age (gender, race, ete.) of the person you report to would certainly make no difference to you. 84 Toughest Questions Page 1 “I'm an even-tempered and positive person by nature, and { believe this helps me a great deal in keeping my department running smoothly, harmoniously and with a genuine esprit de corps. | believe in communicating clearly what's expected, getting people's commitment to those goals, and then following up continuously to check progress.” “If anyone or anything is going off track, | want to know about it early. If, after that kind of open communication and follow up, someone isn't getting the job done, I’ want to know why. If there's no good reason, then I'll get impatient and angry...and take appropriate steps from there. But if you hire good people, motivate them to strive for excellence and then follow up constantly, it almost never gets to that state.” If you are feisty by nature and/or the position calls for a tough straw boss. “You know what makes me angry? People who (the fill in the blanks with the most objectionable traits for this type of position)... people whe don’t pull their own weight, who are negative, people who lie...etc.” Question 26 Why aren’t you earning more money at this stage of your career? TRAPS: You don't want to give the impression that money is not important to you, yet you want to explain why your salary may be a little below industry standards. BEST ANSWER: You like to make money, but other factors are even more important. Exampie: “Making money is very important to me, and one reason I’m here is because I'm looking to make more. Throughout my career, what’s been even more important to me is doing work | really like to do at the kind of company I like and respect. (Then be prepared to be specific about what your ideal position and company would be like, matching them as closely as possible to the opportunity at hand. Question 27 Who has inspired you in your life and why? TRAPS: The two traps here are unpreparedness and irrelevance. If you grope for an answer, it seems you've never been inspired. if you ramble about your high school basketball coach, you've wasted an opportunity to present qualities of great value to the company. BEST ANSWER: Have a few heroes in mind, from your mental “Board of Directors’ — Leaders in your industry, from history or anyone else who has been your mentor. Be prepared to give examples of how their words, actions or teachings have helped inspire your achievements. As always, prepare an answer which highlights qualities that would be highly valuable in the position you are seeking. 84 Toughest Questions , Page 3 Question 28 What was the toughest decision you ever had to make? TRAPS: Giving an unprepared or irrelevant answer. BEST ANSWER: Be prepared with a good example, explaining why the decision was difficult...the process you followed in reaching it...the courageous or effective way you carried it out...and the beneficial results. Question 29 Tell me about the most boring job you've ever had. TRAPS: You give a very memorable description of a very boring jab. Result? You become associated with this boring job in the interviewer's mind. BEST ANSWER: You have never allowed yourself to grow bored with a job and you can't understand it when others let themselves fall into that rut. Example: ‘Perhaps I’ve been fortunate, but that ?’'ve never found myself bored with any Job i have ever held. I've always enjoyed hard work. As with actors who feel there are no smail parts, | also believe that in every company or department there are exciting chalienges and intriguing problems crying out for energetic and enthusiastic solutions, {f you're bored, it’s probably because you're not challenging yourself fo tackle those problems right under your nose.” Question 30 Have you been absent from work more than a few days in any previous position? TRAPS: |f you've had @ problem, you can't lie. You could easily be found out, Yet admitting an attendance problem could raise many flags. BEST ANSWER: If you have had no problem, emphasize your excellent and consistent attendance record throughout your career. Also describe how important you believe such consistent attendance is for a key executive...why it's up to you to set an example of dedication...and why there’s just no substitute for being there with your people ta keep the operation running smoothly, answer questions and handle problems and crises as they arise. if you do have a past attendance problem, you want to minimize it, making it clear that it was an exceptional circumstance and that it’s cause has been corrected. To do this, give the same answer as above but preface it with something like, “Other that being out last year (or whenever) because of (yaur reason, which is now in the past), | have never had a problem and have enjoyed an excellent attendance record throughout my career. Furthermore, | believe, consistent attendance is important because...” (Pick up the rest of the answer as outlined above.). Question 31 What changes would you make if you came on board? TRAPS: Waich out! This question can derail your candidacy faster than a bomb on the tracks ~ and just as you are about to be hired. Reason: No matter how bright you are, you cannot know the right actions to take in a position before you setile in and get to know the operation’s strengths, weaknesses key 64 Toughest Questions : Page 4 people, financial condition, methods of operation, etc. If you lunge at this temptingly baited question, you will probably be seen as someone who shoots from the hip. Moreover, no matter how comfortable you may fee! with your interviewer, you are still an outsider. No one, including your interviewer, likes to think that a know-it-all outsider is gaing to come in, turn the place upside down and with sweeping, grand gestures, promptly demonstrate what jerks everybody's been for years. BEST ANSWER: You, of course, will want to take a good hard look at everything the company ts doing before making any recommendations. Example: “Well, | wouldn’t be a very good doctor if | gave my diagnosis before the examination. Should you hire me, as | hope you will, I'd want to take a good hard Jock at everything you're doing and understand why it’s being done that way. I'd like to have in- depth meetings with you and the other key people to get a deeper grasp of what you feel you're doing right and what could be improved. “From what youve told me so far, the areas of greatest concern to you are...” (name them. Then do two things. First, ask if these are in fact his major concerns. If so then reaffirm how your experience in meeting similar needs elsewhere might prove very helpful). Question 32 I’m concerned that you don’t have as much experience as we'd like in... TRAPS: This could be a make-or-break question. The interviewer mostiy likes what he sees, but has doubts over ane key area. If you can assure him on this point, the jab may be yours. BEST ANSWER: This question is related to “The Fatal Flaw" (Question 18), but here the concern is not that you are fotally missing some qualifications, such as CPA certification, but rather that your experience is fight in one area. Before going into any interview, try to identify the weakest aspects of your candidacy fram this company’s point of view. Then prepare the best answer you possible can to shore up your defenses. To get past this question with flying colors, you are going to rely on your master strategy of uncavering the employer's greatest wants and needs and then matching them with your strengths. Since you already know how to do this from Question 1, you are in a much stronger position More specifically, when the interviewer poses as objection like this, you should... 4 Agree on the importance of this qualification. 2. €xpiain that your strength may be indeed be greater than your resume indicates because... 3. When this strength is added to your other strengths, it’s really your combination of quatifications that’s most important. Then review the areas of your greatest strengths that match up most favorably with the company’s most urgently-felt wants and needs. This is powerful way to handle this question for two reasons. First, you're giving your interviewer more amraunition in the area of his concern. But more importantly, you're shifting his focus away from this one, isolated area and putting it on the unique combination of strengths you offer, strengths which tle in perfectly with his greatest wants, 64 Toughest Questions Page 2 In other words, you would drop Position B altogether. Notice what a difference this makes in reducing your image as a job hopper. Once in front of the interviewer and this question comes up, you must try to reassure him. Describe each position as part of an overall pattern of growth and career destination. Be careful not to blame other people for your frequent changes. But you can and shouid attribute certain changes to conditions beyond your control. Example: Thanks to an upcoming merger, you wanted to avoid an ensuing bloodbath, so you made a good, upward career move before your department came under the axe of the new owners. If possible, also show that your job changes were more frequent in your younger days, while you were establishing yourself, rounding out your skills and looking for the right career path. At this stage in your career, you're certainly much more interested in the best /ong-term opportunity. You might also cite the job(s) where you stayed the longest and describe that this type of situation is what you're looking for now. Question 37 What do you see as the proper role/mission of... .-a good (job title you're seeking); ..@ good manager; .-@n executive in serving the community; ...a leading company in our industry; ete. TRAPS: These and other “proper role” questions are designed to test your understanding of your piace in the bigger picture of your department, company, comraunity and profession....as well as the proper role each of these entities should play in its bigger picture, The question is most frequently asked by the most thoughtful individuais and companies...or by those concerned that you're coming from a place with a radically different corporate culture (such as from a big government bureaucracy to an aggressive small company). The most frequent mistake executives make in answering is simply not being prepared (seeming as if they've never giving any of this a though.)...or in phrasing an answer best suited to their prior organization's culture instead of the hiring company’s. BEST ANSWER: Think of the most essential ingredients of success for each category above — your job title, your role as manager, your firm's rale, etc. Identify at least three but no more than six qualities you feel are most important to success in each role. Then commit your response to memory. Here, again, the more information you've already drawn out about the greatest wants and needs of the interviewer, and the more homework you've done to identify the culture of the firm, the more on-target your answer will be. 64 Toughest Questions Page 3 Question 38 What would you say to your boss if he’s crazy about an idea, but you think it stinks? TRAPS: This is another question that pits two vaiues, in this case loyalty and honesty, against one another. BEST ANSWER: Remember the rule stated earlier: In any conflict between values, always choose integrity. Example: |! believe that when evaluating anything, it's important to emphasize the positive. What do | like about this idea?” “Then, if you have reservations, | certainly want to point them out, as specifically, objectively and faciuaily as | can.” “After all, fhe most important thing | owe my boss is honesty. If he can't count on me for that, then everything else | may do or say could be questionable in his eyes.” “But | also want to express my thoughts in a constructive way. So my goal in this case would be to see if my boss and | could make his idea even stronger and more appealing, so that it effectively overcomes any initial reservation | or others may have about it.” “Of course. if he overrulas me and says, ‘no, let's do it my way.’ then | owe him my full and enthusiastic support to make it work as best it can.” Question 39 How could you have improved your career progress? TRAPS: This is another variation on the question, “if you could, how would you five your life over?” Remember, you're not going to fall far any such invitations to rewrite person history. You can't win if you do. BEST ANSWER: You're generally quite happy with your career progress. Maybe, if you had known something earlier in life (impossible to know at the time, such as the booming growth in a branch in your industry...or the corporate downsizing that would phase out your last job), you might have moved in a certain direction sooner. But ail things considered, you take responsibility for where you are, how you've gotten there, where you are going...and you harbor no regrets. Question 40 What would you do if a fellow executive on your own corporate level wasn't pulling his/her weight...and this was hurting your department? TRAPS: This questian and other hypothetical ones test your sense of human relations and how you might handle office politics. BEST ANSWER: Try to gauge the political style of the firm and be guided accordingly. In general, fall back on universal principles of effective human relations ~ which in the end, embody the way you would like to be treated in a similar circumstance. Example: “Good human relations would call for me to go directly to the person and explain the situation, to try to entist his help in a constructive, positive solution. If I sensed resistance, | would be as persuasive as | know how to explain the benefits we can all gain from working together, and the prablems we, the company and our customers will experience if we don’t.” POSSIBLE FOLLOW-UP QUESTION: And what would you do if he still did not change his ways? 64 Toughest Questions — — Page 1 ANSWER: “One thing | wouldn't do is let the problem slide, because it would only get worse and overlooking it would set a bad precedent. | would try again and again and again, in whatever way { could, to solve the problem, involving wider and wider circles of people, both above and below the offending executive and including my own boss if necessary, so that everyone involved can see the rewards for teamwork and the drawbacks of non-cooperation.” “| might add that I’ve never yet come across a situation that couldn't be resolved by harnessing others in a determined, constructive effort.” Question 41 You've been with your firm a long time. Won't it be hard switching to a new company? FRAPS: Your interviewer is worried that this old dog will find it hard to learn new tricks, BEST ANSWER: To overcome this objection, you must point to the many ways you have grown and adapted to changing conditions at your present firm. It has not been a static situation. Highlight the different responsibilities you've held, the wide array of new situations you've faced and conquered. As a result, you've learned to adapt quickly to whatever is thrown at you, and you thrive ‘on the stimulation of new challenges. To further assure the interviewer, describe the similarities between the new position and your prior one. Explain that you should be quite comfortable working there, since their needs and your skills make a perfect match. Question 42 May | contact your present employer for a reference? TRAPS: If you're trying to keep your job search private, this is the last thing you want. But if you don’t cooperate, won't you seem as if you're trying to hide something? BEST ANSWER: Express your concern that you'd like fo keep your job search private, but that in time, it will be perfectly okay. Example: “My present employer is not aware of my jab search and, for obvious reasons: Fd prefer to keep it that way. I’d be most appreciative if we kept our discussion confidential right now. Of course, when we bath agree the time is right, then by all means you should contact them. I’m very proud of my record there. Question 43 Give me an example of your creativity (analytical skill... managing ability, etc.) TRAPS: The worst offense here is simply being unprepared. Your hesitation may seem as if you're having a hard time remembering the last time you were creative, analytical, ete. BEST ANSWER: Remember from Question 2 that you should commit to memory a fist of your greatest and most recent achievements, ever ready on the tip of your tongue. Hf you have such a list, it's easy to present any of your achievements in light of tha quality the interviewer is asking about. For example, the smashing success you orchestrated at last year’s trade show could be used as an example of creativity, or analytical ability, or your ability to manage. 64 Toughest Questions Page 3 resources and stability of a well-established organization. Sounds like the perfect environment to you in any case, no matter what the corporate culture, be sure ta indicate that any desires about running your own show are part of your past, not your present or future, The last thing you want to project is an image of either a dreamer who failed and is now settling for the corporate cocoon...or the restless maverick who will fly out the door with key accounts, contacts and trade secrets under his arms just as soon as his bankroll has gotten rebuilt. Always remember. Match what you want with what the position offers. The more information you've uncovered about the position, the more believable you can make your case. Question 51 What are your goals? TRAPS: Not having any...or having only vague generalities, not highly specific goals. BEST ANSWER: Many executives in a position to hire you are strong believers in goal- setting. (It's one of the reason they've achieved so much). They like to hire in kind. if you're vague about your career and personal goals, it could be a big turnoff to may people you will encounter in your job search. Be ready to discuss your goals for each major area of your life: career, personal development and learning, family, physical (health), community service and (if your interviewer is clearly a religious person) you could briefly and generally allude to your spiritual goals (showing you are a well-rounded individual with your values in the right order). Be prepared to describe each goal in terms of specific milestones you wish to accomplish along the way, time periods you're allotting for accomplishment, why the goal is important to you, and the specific steps yau’re taking to bring it about. But do this concisely, as you never want to talk more than two minutes straight before letting your interviewer back into the conversation. Question 52 What do you for when you hire people? TRAPS: Being unprepared for the question. BEST ANSWER: Speak your own thoughts here, but for the best answer weave them around the three most important qualificatians for any position, I. Can the person do the work (qualifications)? 2. Will the person do the work (motivation)? 3. Will the person fit in (our kind of team player’)? Question 53 Sell me this stapler...(this pencil... this clock...or some other object on interviewer's desk). TRAPS: Some interviewers, especially business owners and hard-changing executives in marketing-driven companies, feel that good salesmanship is essentia/ for any key position and ask for an instant demonstration of your skill. Be ready. 64 Toughest Questions : ~ _ - : Page 2 BEST ANSWER: Of course, you already know the most important secret of all great salesmanship ~ “find out what people want, then shaw them how fo get it.” if your interviewer picks up his stapler and asks, “sell this to me," you are going to demonstrate this proven master principle. Here’s how: Well, a good salesman must know both his product and his prospect before he sells anything. If | were selling this, I'd first get to know everything E could about it, all its features and benefits.” “Then, if my goal were to sell it you, | would do some research on how you might use a fine stapler like this. The best way to do that is by asking some questions. May [ ask you a few questions?” Then ask a few questions such as, “Just out of curiosity, if you didn't already have a stapler like this, why would you want one? And in addition to that? Any other reason? Anything else?” “And would you want such a stapler to be reliable?...Hald a good supply of staples?” (Ask more questions that point to the features this stapler has.) Once you've asked these questions, make your presentation citing all the features and benefits of this stapler and why it’s exactly what the interviewer just told you he’s looking for. Then close with, “Just out of curiosity, what would you cansider a reasonable price fora quality stapler like this...a stapler you could have right now and would (then repeat all the problems the stapler would solve for him)? Whatever he says, (unless it's zero), say, “Okay, we've got a deal.” NOTE: if your interviewer tests you by fighting every step of the way, denying that he even wants such an item, don't fight him. Take the product away from him by saying, Mr. Prospect, I’m delighted you've told me right upfront that there’s no way you'd ever wani this stapler. As you well know, the first rule of the most productive salespeople in any field is to meet the needs of people who really need and want our Products, and it Just wastes everyone's time if we try to force it on those who don't. And I certainly wouldn't want to waste your time. But we sell many items. Is there any product on this desk you would very much like to own...just one item?” When he points something out, repeat the process above. If he knows anything about selling, he may give you a standing ovation. Question 54 “The Salary Question” — How much money do you want? TRAPS: May also be phrases as, “What salary are you worth?”...or, “How much are you making now?” This is your most important negotiation. Handle it wrong and you can blow the jab offer or go to work at far less than you might have gotten. BEST ANSWER: For maximum salary negotiating power, remember these five guidelines: i. Never bring up salary. Let the interviewer do it first. Good salespeople seil their products thoroughly before talking price. So should you. Make the interviewer want you first, and your bargaining position will be much stronger. ne Hf your interviewer raises the salary question too early, before you've had a chance to create desire for your qualifications, postpone the question, saying something like, “Money is important to me, but is not my main concern. Opportunity and growth are far more important. What I'd rather do, if you don’t 64 Toughest Questions ~ _ Page 2 mind, is explore if I'm right for the position, and then talk about money. Would that be okay?” 3. The #1 rule of any negotiation is: the side with more information wins, After you've done a thorough job of selling the interviewer and it’s time to talk salary, the secret is to get the employer talking about what he’s willing to pay before you reveal what you're willing to accept. So, when asked about salary, respond by asking, “I'm sure the company has already established a salary range for this position. Could you tell me what that is?’ Or, “| want an income commensurate with my ability and qualifications. | trust you'll be fair with me. What does the position pay?” Or, more simply, “What does this position pay?” 4. Know beforehand what you'd accept. To know what's reasonable. research the job market and this position for any relevant salary information. Remember that most executives look for a 20-25%$ pay boost when they switch jabs. if you're grossly underpaid, you may want more. 5. Never lie about what you currently make, but feel free to include the estimated cost of all your fringes, which could well tack on 25-50% more to your present “cash-only” salary. Question 55 The illegal Question TRAPS: Illegal questions include any regarding your age...number and ages of your children or other dependents... marital status... maiden name...religion... political affiliation... ancestry...national origin... birthplace.. naturalization of your parents, spouse or children.. diseases... disabilities...clubs...or spouse's occupation...unfess any of the above are directly related to your performance of the job. You can't even be asked about arrests, though you can be asked about convictions. BEST ANSWER: Under the ever-present threat of lawsuits, most interviewers are well aware of these taboos. Yet you may encounter, usually on a second or third interview, a senior executive who doesn’t interview much and forgets he can’t ask such questions. You can handle an illegal question in several ways. First, you can assert your legal right not to answer. But this will frighten or embarrass your interviewer and destroy any rapport you had. Second, you could swallow your concerns over privacy and answer the question straight forwardly if you fee! the answer could help you. For example, your interviewer, a devout Baptist, recognizes you from church and mentions it. Here, you could gain by talking about your church. Third, if you don’t want your privacy invaded, you can diplomatically answer the concem behind the question without answering the question itself, Example: lf you are over 50 and are asked, “Haw old are you?” you can answer with a friendly, smiling question of your own on whether there’s a concern that your age my affect your performance. Follow this up by reassuring the interviewer that there’s nothing in this job you can’t do and, in fact, your age and experience are the most important advantages you offer the employer for the following reasons... Another example: If asked, “Do you plan to have children?” you could answer, “lam wholeheartedly dedicated to my career’, perhaps adding, “I have no plans regarding children.” (You needn't fear you've pledged eternal childlessness. You have every right to change your plans later. Get the job first and then enjoy all your options.) 64 Toughest Questions Page 2 you seem lazy. On the other hand, if you answer, “Oh, I'd want to keep doing exactly what | am doing, only doing it for your firm,” you could easily inspire your interviewer to silently mutter to himself, “Yeah, sure. Gimme a break.” BEST ANSWER: This type of question is aimed at getting at your bedrock attitude about work and how you feel about what you do. Your best answer will focus on your positive feelings, Example: “After | floated down from cloud nine, | think | would still hofd my basic belief that achievement and purposeful work are essential to a happy, productive life. After all, if money alone bought happiness, then all rich people would be all happy, and that’s not true. “Hove the work | da, and I think I’d always want ta be involved in my career in some fashion. Winning the lottery would make it more fun because it would mean having more flexibility, more options...who knows?” “Of course, since | can't count on winning, I'd just as soon create my own destiny by sticking with what's worked for me, meaning good old reliable hard work and a desire to achieve. | think those qualities have built many more fortunes that all the lotteries put together.” Question 61 Looking back on your last position, have you done your best work? TRAPS: Tricky question. Answer “absolutely” and it can seem like your best work is behind you. Answer, ‘no, my best work is ahead of me,” and it can seem as if you didn’t give if your all, BEST ANSWER: To cover both possible paths this question can take, your answer should state that you always try to da your best, and the best of your career is right now. Like an athlete at the top of his game, you are just hitting your career stride thanks to several factors. Then, recap those factors, highlighting your strongest qualifications. Question 62 Why should | hire you from the outside when | could promote someone from within? TRAPS: This question isn't as aggressive as it sounds. It represents the interviewer's own dilemma over this common problem. He’s probably leaning toward you already and for reassurance, wants to hear what you have to say an the matter. BEST ANSWER: Help him see the qualifications that onfy you can offer. Example: “in general, | think it's a good policy to hire from within ~ to look outside probably means youTe not completely comfortable choosing someone from inside. “Naturally, you want this department to be as strong as it possibly can be, so you want the strongest candidate. | feel that | can fill that bill because...(then recap your strongest qualifications that match up with his greatest needs).” 64 Toughest Questions _ : Page 2 Question 63 Tell me something negative you've heard about our company... TRAPS: This is a cormmon fishing expedition to see what the industry grapevine may be saying about the company. But it’s also a trap because as an outsider, you never want to be the bearer of unflattering news or gossip about the firm. It can only hurt your chances and sidetrack the interviewer from getting sold an you. BEST ANSWER: Just remember the rule — never be negative — and you'll handle this ane just fine. Question 64 On a scale of one to ten, rate me as an interviewer. TRAPS: Give a perfect “10,” and you'll seem too easy to please. Give anything less than a perfect 10, and he could-press you as to where you're being critical, and that road leads downhill for you. BEST ANSWER: Once again, never be negative. The interviewer will only resent criticism coming from you. This is the time to show your positivism. However, don't give a numerical rating. Simply praise whatever interview styie he’s been using. If he's been tough, say “You have been thorough and tough-minded, the very qualities needed to conduct a good interview.” If he’s been methodical, say, “You have been very methodical and analytical, and I'm sure that approach results in excellent hires for your firm.” In other words, pay him a sincere compliment that he can believe because it’s anchored in the behavior you’ve just seen. Good Juck in your job search! The Editors 64 Toughest Questions Page 1